Chamber Music Detroit

The Chamber Music Society of Detroit, founded in 1944, is the tenth oldest chamber music series in the United States as recognized by Chamber Music America. The core of the Chamber Music Society of Detroit’s offerings is a nine-concert chamber music series and a three-concert piano series which bring world-class performers to metropolitan Detroit. Complementing the concert series are a comprehensive education program in Detroit area schools, an international classical music award, a Pre-Concert Talk series and other events. The Chamber Music Society presents its concerts at Seligman Performing Arts Center, located on the campus of Detroit Country Day School in Beverly Hills, Michigan.

History

The Chamber Music Society of Detroit presents its series at the 724-seat Seligman Performing Arts Center, located on the campus of Detroit Country Day School in Beverly Hills, Michigan.

Founded in 1944 by radio musical educator Karl Haas, the Chamber Music Society of Detroit began as an informal association of people brought together for the purpose of listening to chamber music. Mr. Haas instituted lectures (the forerunners to his internationally syndicated radio programs) at the Detroit Public Library to inform the public about upcoming concerts. During its first ten seasons, the Chamber Music Society of Detroit (known in its earliest years as the Chamber Music Festival) presented its concerts at the Detroit Institute of Arts Lecture Hall.

Until the late 1960s, Chamber Music Society of Detroit ensembles often comprised the first chair musicians of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. In 1968, the leadership of the Chamber Music Society passed from Karl Haas to Zalman “Tiny” Konikow; from this point forward, the Chamber Music Society of Detroit invited touring artists and ensembles from around the globe to perform on its series. During his 25-year tenure as president, Tiny Konikow showcased the talents of many up-and-coming musicians. Most notable are the Chamber Music Society of Detroit's early presentations of Emanuel Ax, Gidon Kremer, Yo-Yo Ma, Murray Perahia and the Tokyo String Quartet. Under Tiny Konikow's leadership, the Chamber Music Society of Detroit played a crucial role in the preservation and renovation of Detroit's Orchestra Hall by becoming, in 1978, its first permanent tenant since the Detroit Symphony had left the hall decades before.

In 1995, Lois R. Beznos became President of the Chamber Music Society of Detroit, after serving as Chair of the Board of Trustees since 1987. Under Lois Beznos' tenure as president, the Chamber Music Society has more than tripled its subscriber base and its budget while developing community collaborations, adding professional staff and instituting comprehensive education programs. Lois Beznos has also extended the Chamber Music Society’s role at the national and international level through commissioning projects and through the founding and management of the Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson International Trio Award. In 1995 Ms. Beznos instituted a series of lectures and discussions on such subjects as chamber music history, chamber music performance and instrument making. Today, this program has evolved into a series of Pre-Concert Talks presented by Steven Rings, Associate Professor of Music, University of Chicago, as well as by artists performing on the series.

Lois Beznos established a collaboration with the Wayne State University Department of Music in 1995, introducing master classes by Chamber Music Society of Detroit series artists. Gradually increasing its scope over the years, the education program has evolved into an intensive Two-Week Ensemble Residency Program encompassing 15 or more school and community collaborations throughout metropolitan Detroit.

In 1996, the Chamber Music Society of Detroit, along with seven other Chamber music presenters in the United States, including the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and the Freer Gallery of Art at the Smithsonian Institution, was selected to present in perpetuity the winner of the Cleveland Quartet Award. In 2001, the Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson International Trio Award was established by and continues to be managed by the Chamber Music Society of Detroit.

Chronology

1944	Founded by Karl Haas
1944–1968	Karl Haas, President
1969–1994	Zalman "Tiny" Konikow, President
1995–Present	Lois R. Beznos, President
1996	Chamber Music Society of Detroit becomes one of eight Cleveland Quartet Award presenters in the U.S.
1998	Two-Week Ensemble Residency Program established
1999–2000	The concert series is presented for the first time at the newly built Seligman Performing Arts Center located on the campus of Detroit Country Day School
2001	The Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson International Trio Award is established
2003–2004	The Chamber Music Society of Detroit's entire 2003-2004 season is sold out for the first time in the organization's history.
2004–2005	The concert season is expanded to two subscription series: a nine-concert (Opus 9) Series and a three-concert (Opus 3) Piano Series.

Artists

Among the scores of international artists who have appeared on the Chamber Music Society of Detroit series are: Elly Ameling, Emanuel Ax, Daniel Barenboim, Joshua Bell, Yefim Bronfman, Aaron Copland, James Ehnes, James Galway, Richard Goode. Denyce Graves Dmitri Hvorostovsky, Alicia de Larrocha, Yo-Yo Ma, Midori, Jessye Norman, Murray Perahia, Itzhak Perlman, Seiji Ozawa, Jon Kimura Parker, Jean-Pierre Rampal, Andras Schiff, Isaac Stern, Richard Stoltzman, Dawn Upshaw and Krystian Zimerman.

Chamber ensembles have included the Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, the Beaux Arts Trio, the Cleveland Quartet, the Emerson String Quartet, the English Chamber Orchestra, the Guarneri String Quartet, the Juilliard String Quartet, the Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson Trio and the Tokyo String Quartet.

Commissions and premieres

During its first ten years, the Chamber Music Society of Detroit presented the Detroit premieres of works by Ernest Bloch, Ernest Chausson, Ernst von Dohnányi, Gabriel Fauré, Darius Milhaud, Francis Poulenc, Serge Prokofiev, Maurice Ravel, Heitor Villa-Lobos and others. During its second decade, several world premieres were presented, including works by Michigan composers Ross Lee Finney and Leslie Bassett.

Other notable premieres and commissions include:

1953: Samuel Barber, Summer Music for Wind Quintet, commissioned by the Chamber Music Society of Detroit in honor of its 10th anniversary. The Chamber Music Society was nationally recognized for being the first organization to commission a work by public subscription.

1968: Ulysses Kay, Scherzi Musicale, commissioned by the Chamber Music Society of Detroit in celebration of its 25th season.

1999: Charles Wuorinen, String Quartet No. 4, commissioned in collaboration with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, El Paso Pro Musica and Chamber Music Northwest.

2002: Gunther Schuller Quartet No. 4, world premiere performance by the Juilliard String Quartet.

2007: Richard Danielpour, Book of Hours, co-commissioned for the Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson Trio and viola by the Chamber Music Society of Detroit and six collaborating national presenters.

2009: Ellen Taaffe Zwilich, Quintet for String Quartet and Saxophone, co-commissioned for the Pacifica Quartet and saxophone by the Chamber Music Society of Detroit, Arizona Friends of Chamber Music, Fontana Chamber Arts and Michigan State University.

2009: Ellen Taaffe Zwilich, Septet for Piano Trio and String Quartet, co-commissioned for the Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson Trio and the Miami String Quartet by the Chamber Music Society of Detroit (made possible by a gift from Geraldine Schwartz); the 92nd Street Y; The Abe Fortas Chamber Music Concerts of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts; Kent/Blossom Music; Regional Arts at the Raymond F. Kravis Center for the Performing Arts; Philharmonic Society of Orange County; Ruth Eckerd Hall; Denver Friends of Chamber Music; Friends of Chamber Music, Portland OR; Virginia Festival of the Arts; Duke Performance; Hudson Valley Chamber Music Circle; through the International Arts Foundation, Inc.

Education programs

The Chamber Music Society of Detroit’s education programming includes an annual series of pre-concert talks, master classes with international artists and a Two-Week Ensemble Residency Program.

The ensemble residency presents internationally known chamber ensembles which provide lecture-demonstrations in the schools and coaching sessions for advanced high school and college ensembles. Program partners include schools throughout the metropolitan Detroit area, from elementary grades through college and such Detroit community organizations as Focus: HOPE, Children’s Hospital of Michigan and Latino Family Services. Over 3,500 students participate each year, and 1,400 students participate in the culminating feature of the program: student concerts presented at the same venue where Chamber Music Society of Detroit series concerts are presented.

The program has reached many thousands of students since its inception in 1995. The Borromeo String Quartet, Brentano String Quartet, Cypress String Quartet, Miami String Quartet, Pacifica Quartet and Shanghai Quartet have participated in the Two-Week Residency Program. In 2005-2006, the program was conducted by a piano trio: the Claremont Trio, the first winner of the Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson International Trio Award. In addition to these participating ensembles, pianist Menahem Pressler, violinists Joseph Silverstein and William Preucil and clarinetist Richard Stoltzman have presented master classes. In 2010-2011, two members of The Romeros will conduct the residency, marking the first time a guitar ensemble has participated in the program.

Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson International Trio Award

Chamber Music Society of Detroit president Lois Beznos formulated the Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson International Trio Award (KLRITA), which was announced at Carnegie Hall in 2001. The KLRITA has a twofold purpose: a biennial piano trio award, it derived its impetus first from the desire to honor the Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson Trio during its then 25th anniversary season and in perpetuity. Secondly, the award was created to encourage and enhance the careers of accomplished and extraordinarily promising young piano trios, to be chosen every other year in perpetuity.

The KLRITA is supported in part by a contribution to its endowment fund made by each of twenty participating chamber music presenters. Presenters then have the benefit of an endowed concert, paid for by the award endowment fund, every other season in perpetuity.

The winning trios are presented on the series of all of the following twenty participating trio award presenters during a two-year award tour period: Ames Town & Gown Chamber Music Association (IA); Arizona Friends of Chamber Music (AZ); Carnegie Hall (NY); Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts (CA); Chamber Music Cincinnati (OH); Chamber Music Monterey Bay (CA); Chamber Music Sedona (AZ); Chamber Music Society of Detroit (MI); Chamber Music Society of Louisville (KY); Chamber Music Society of Utica (NY); El Camino College Center for the Arts (CA); Friends of Chamber Music - Kansas City (MO); Irving S. Gilmore International Keyboard Festival (MI); Raymond F. Kravis Center for the Performing Arts (FL); Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, University of Maryland (MD); Naples Philharmonic Center for the Arts (FL); Purdue Convocations - Purdue University (IN); San Antonio Chamber Music Society (TX); Thomasville Entertainment Foundation (GA); University of Chicago Presents (IL)

In addition to being presented on the series of these twenty presenters, winning trios are awarded a CD recording contract provided by Azica Records and benefit from the services of string instrument dealer Kenneth Warren & Son, Ltd., one of the oldest string instrument dealerships in the U.S.

The following trios are the winners of the first four cycles of the KLRITA:

2003	Claremont Trio	Tour period: 2004-2005, 2005–2006
2005	Trio con Brio Copenhagen	Tour period: 2006-2007, 2007–2008
2007	ATOS Trio	Tour period: 2008-2009, 2009–2010
2009	Morgenstern Trio	Tour period: 2010-2011, 2011–2012

Sources

• Cohn, Fred (January/February, 2009). “Making Good in Motown”, Chamber Music Magazine.
• Heyman, Barbara B. (1992). Samuel Barber, the Composer and His Music, Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-509058-6. pp 359–373.
• Rigg, Sarah A. (November 6, 2008). “Executive Profile: Lois R. Beznos, president, Chamber Music Society of Detroit,” Oakland Business Review.
• "Three for the Road,” Chamber Music Magazine, March/April, 2005.
• Wu, June Q. (September 15, 2008). “Chamber Still Hitting the High Notes at 65,” Oakland Press.

External links

• Chamber Music Society of Detroit